CHAMBER, THE
Young law associate (Chris O'Donnell) struggles to save a white
supremacist convict (Gene Hackman) from the Mississippi gas
chamber for the 1967 bombing murders of two small children. Not
only does the attorney have to gain clemency for the unrepentant
racist, he also has to confront the children's true killer and
his family's dark secret -- the convict also happens to be his
estranged grandfather. From the John Grisham novel.
Director: James Foley. Stars: Gene Hackman,
Chris O'Donnell, Faye Dunaway. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 113 min.),
Thriller, 1996, Box office gross: $14.259 million, (Universal
82925), No SRP, Priced for rental,
Available: 3/25
COURAGE UNDER
FIRE
Denzel Washington plays an armored tank commander who, at the
height of the 1971 Gulf War, mistakenly fires on one of his own
tanks, killing several of his men. Forced to "push papers" in
Washington, he's given the task of investigating the events
surrounding the death of a Medevac pilot (Meg Ryan) up for a
Medal of Honor for bravery during the war. In an extension of his
own guilt, he uncovers questions about her actions that no one
wants to answer. Good performances in a scattershot text.
Director: Edward Zwick. Stars: Denzel
Washington, Meg Ryan. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 115 min.), Action
drama, 1996, Box office gross: $59.024 million, (FoxVideo
4132), No SRP, Priced for rental,
Available: 3/4
FIRST WIVES CLUB,
THE
Bette Midler, Diane Keaton and Goldie Hawn star as middle-aged
women whose lives have hit dead-ends -- they've devoted
themselves to their husbands in one way or another and now find
they're being overturned for younger women. It's time to get even
with their ex-husbands -- and they do, using their wits, their
bankbooks and a little old-fashioned blackmail. This box office
smash taped into an urge for sweet revenge, but the end product
never quite lives up to its promise.
Director: Hugh Wilson. Stars: Bette Midler,
Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Maggie Smith, Dan Hedaya, Bronson
Pinchot. CC, (MPAA rating: PG, 104 min.), Comedy, 1996, Box
office gross: $105.204 million, (Paramount 326123), No
SRP, Priced for rental, Available:
3/18
FLIRTING WITH
DISASTER
Wild comedy about a young man (Ben Stiller) who goes on a crazy-
quilt cross-country search for his birth parents, lead by a sexy
counselor (Tea Leoni) and accompanied by his wife (Patricia
Arquette) and child. Like its protagonists, the film
kind of wanders without knowing where it really wants to go.
Still, it's enjoyable viewing. Great performances by Alan Alda
and Lily Tomlin in the film's finale.
Director: David O. Russell. Stars: Ben Stiller,
Patricia Arquette, Tea Leoni, Mary Tyler Moore, Lily Tomlin, Alan
Alda, George Segal. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 92 min.), Comedy,
1996, Box office gross: $14.702 million, (Miramax 8759), No
SRP, Priced for rental, Available:
3/25
FOXFIRE
Four Portland, Oregon high school girls are brought
together by a mysterious outsider (Angelina Jolie) to discover their strengths
as young women, along the way having fun, demonizing parents, and fighting off
(literally) a sexually abusive teacher and other bullies. Based on the Joyce
Carol Oates' novel and directed by Annette Haywood-Carter. Languished at the box
office only because the distributor didn't know what to do with it; worth a
second look for its free-wheeling sensibilities. MPAA rating: R; priced for
rental.
Director: Annette Haywood-Carter. Stars: Angelina Jolie, Jenny
Lewis, Sarah Rosenberg, Hedy Burress. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 102 min.), Drama,
1996, Box Office gross: $.258 million, (Columbia TriStar 80993), No SRP,
Priced for rental, Available 3/11
GLIMMER MAN,
THE
A New York detective and ex-secret government operative (Steven
Seagal) is called in to help a local homicide detective (Keenan
Ivory Wayans) when a serial killer, whose murders all have
religious themes, plunges Los Angeles into terror. Seagal plays
his usual renaissance-man, wise-cracking martial arts expert
while Wayans plays a hard-nose street cop with a heart. As
always, the effects and stunts are spectacular. Typical buddy-cop
fare.
Director: John Gray. Stars: Steven Seagal,
Keenan Ivory Wayans. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 92 min.), Action,
1997, Box office gross: $20.301 million, (Warner 14479), No
SRP, Priced for rental, Available:
3/11
HIGH SCHOOL
HIGH
When an idealistic high school teacher (Jon Lovitz) leaves the
safety of a private academy for the tough streets of an inner
city school so mean it has its own graveyard, you know you're
being set up for an impossibly uplifting fable: that gangsters
can be turned into scholars. All the right ingredients are here
for Lovitz to stir into comedy: the tough but smart kids, the
beautiful school-official love interest (Tia Carrere) and the oh-
so-easy to rankle principal (Louise Fletcher). So why are we
still hungry?
Director: Hart Bochner. Stars: Jon Lovitz, Tia
Carrere, Louise Fletcher, Mekhi Phifer. CC, (MPAA rating: PG-13,
86 min.), Comedy, 1997, Box office gross: $20.951 million,
(Columbia TriStar 82483), No SRP, Priced for
rental, Available: 3/25
HUNCHBACK OF
NOTRE DAME, THE
After the gigantic merchandising successes of their last four
animated outings ("Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King," "The
Little Mermaid," "Aladdin" and "Pocahontas") the intrepid folks at Disney
decided to take on stiffer material: Victor Hugo's classic "Notre
Dame De Paris." Leave it to those Burbank wizards to make
Quasimodo a loveable hero, turn horrendous gargoyles into
animated Marx Brothers and transform the gypsy Esmeralda into the
sexiest toon this side of "Jessica Rabbit." Voices by Demi Moore,
Kevin Kline, Tom Hulce and Jason Alexander.
Director: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. Voices: Demi Moore,
Kevin Kline, Tom Hulce and Jason Alexander. CC, (MPAA rating: G, 91 min.),
Animated, 1996, Box office gross: $100.137 million, (Walt Disney 7955),
$26.99 SRP, Available:
3/4
LONG KISS
GOODNIGHT, THE
Geena Davis plays a seemingly mild-mannered suburban school
teacher suffering from amnesia whose former life as a lethal CIA
assassin -- with the great name of Charly Baltimore -- suddenly
catches up to her with a vengeance. A dead-beat private detective
(Samuel L. Jackson) comes to her aid, and the pair not only
uncover her past, they get involved in a conspiracy led by rogue
elements of the U.S. intelligence agency. There's great action
here -- and the always lovely and watchable Davis.
Director: Renny Harlin. Stars: Geena Davis,
Samuel L. Jackson. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 120 min.), Action, 1996,
Box office gross: $32.720 million, (New Line 4446), No
SRP, Priced for rental Available:
3/18
MAXIMUM RISK
There's a certain guilty pleasure in watching Jean-Claude
Van Damme films. He's not much of a thespian, but who cares: he's
so cuddly strong and honest that you just can't get enough of his
off-kilter heroism. And you just know he'll wipe out the bad guys
with his integrity intact. This particular action-adventure flick
has Jean-Claude as a French cop who travels to New York City to
solve the murder of the twin brother he never knew he had. Love
interest is supplied by Natasha Henstridge.
Director: Ringo Lam. Stars: Jean-Claude Van
Damme, Natasha Henstridge. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 100 min.),
Action, 1996, Box office gross: $14.134 million, (Columbia
TriStar 27413), No SRP, Priced for rental,
Available: 3/11
SPACE JAM
Live action/animated adventure about nasty alien toons who have
been dispatched to Earth by their ruthless boss (voice of Danny
DeVito) to kidnap and export the Looney Tunes characters to a
boring planet to save a failing amusement park (Moron Mountain).
Bugs Bunny tries to foil the plot by challenging the aliens to a
winner-take-all basketball game, capturing Michael Jordan as the
Looney's secret weapon. Mostly a merchandising vehicle for the
toons and Jordan.
Director: Joe Pytka. Stars: Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny.
CC, (MPAA rating: PG, 88 min.), Comedy, 1996, Box office
gross: $85.000 million, (Warner Bros. 16400), $22.96
SRP, Available:
3/11
SUPERCOP
One of the best Jackie Chan vehicles to date, this is
Part 3 of the Jackie Chan "Police Story" series (Part 4 is the
current theatrical release "First Strike"). Here he plays a
detective called upon to take on an undercover mission to put a
high-powered drug lord out of business in the Pacific Rim.
Incredible stunts by Chan and partner Michelle Khan. The film,
originally released in 1992, was grabbed for distribution by
Miramax to capitalize on the success of Chan's 1996 "Rumble in
the Bronx." Must see for action fans.
Director: Stanley Tong. Stars: Jackie Chan,
Michelle Khan. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 91 min.), Action, 1996,
Box office gross: $16.249 million, (Miramax 9678), No
SRP, Priced for rental Available:
3/18
THAT THING YOU
DO!
A delightfully playful and enjoyable take on the 1960s, directed with a gentle
hand by Tom Hanks. It's 1964 and the world is fresh and new -- and ripe for the
rise to fame of four young rock 'n' rollers molded along the lines of the
Beatles. The Wonders, as they eventually come to be known, start out as
innocents but get a quick lesson in the ways of the world as they move from
Eire, Pennsylvania to Hollywood. Outstanding performances by newcomers Tom
Everett
Scott and Jonathan Schaech; Liv Tyler scores as the love interest.
Director: Tom Hanks. Stars: Tom Everett Scott,
Liv Tyler, Jonathan Schaech, Steve Zahn, Ethan Embry, Tom Hanks.
CC, (MPAA rating: PG, 105 min.), Music, 1996, Box office gross:
$25.458 million, (FoxVideo 4141), No SRP, Priced
for rental Available: 3/4
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